初見老東方博物館 Old Orient Museum 的收藏頗為雀躍,一方面很喜歡這種民國初年老上海的風格,也很迷戀這時代揉合異國浪漫的特殊情懷。而蒐藏家Vincent也深深為這些老東西所吸引,第一次在跳蚤市場買下第一張海報時,就立下希望美好的東西,不會因為時間的流逝而消失,也在他的努力下保存了許多珍貴的文物。

Vincent先生,也十分樂意與ㄇㄞˋ點子分享許多在創作上的經驗。

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哈囉,Vicent,請多跟ㄇㄞˋ點子的讀者介紹一下你的背景還有你為什麼要收藏這些舊海報呢?

我一直對數位修復很感到興趣,主要是因為它能夠把舊的事物帶回現在的關係。我們已經有太多寶物因為時間而消失,而且他們永遠都不會再出現了。如果有些東西能夠被保存的話,這將會讓我們現在的生活變得更美好一些。

舉例來說,在台灣,保藏了許多珍貴且無價的華人文物。因為有人花了時間去保護他們,這樣才能讓我能夠在書上看到這些美麗又相當具有價值的藝術品能免於被摧毀。這樣下來,我們的下一代才能夠看到這些過去的藝術文物。

所以啦,這就是為什麼我喜歡去找這些美麗的藝術品,然後把他們修復到他剛被第一版印出來的模樣。最近,我找到一張1930年代由溥儀所主持的滿州國時代的海報,這是中國最後一個王朝。我把這場海報買下來並且將它復原到昔日光彩,這讓我感到歷史意義和成就感。我甚至和在貝納多貝托魯奇電影中飾演8歲小孩的演員分享這張海報,讓他知道真正的歷史樣貌。

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(這是最新的一張,也是當初Vincent與那位小孩兒分享的那張海報)

關於我本身的背景,我從一個藝術家庭長大。我父親在好萊塢的派拉蒙工作室工作,我的姐姐在芝加哥藝術機構教書,不過我卻從來沒有去接受過正式的藝術訓練或者是去學校念書,所以你可以說我是自學來的。我覺得這也不是件壞事,真的,因為我發展出自己在數位修復上面的技巧,這是沒有人會的。我真的沒有辦法想像如果我跟其他學生一樣到學校去念書的話會變成甚麼樣子!

在數位修復的領域當中,透過博物館,我負責世界最大的海報數位修復工作,並且獲得了世界各地的認同(網路上已經超過了百萬點擊數)。

1.Hello , Vincent, Please tell us more about your background and what made you collecting the restored vintage posters to MyDesy readers.

I have always been interested in Digital Restoration; mainly as a means to bring the past back to life. We have many treasures that have been lost to time, and will never be seen again. If only a few of them could be saved, it would make the world a better place.

In your country, for example, you had the right idea by saving hundreds of thousands of antiquities and invaluable pieces of art from mainland China when they were in the hands of the communists. I know only because I have seen the books full of beautiful and precious objects saved from destruction, because someone took the time and the thought to rescue them, the world is a better place, and future generations can admire the art of the past.

So, what I enjoy is finding some beautiful piece of art and restoring it to the same condition it was when it was first printed. Recently, I located a beautiful poster from 1930’s Manchukuo, the puppet country ruled by Puyi, the last Emperor of China, and I bought it back to its former glory. That gives me a sense of history and accomplishment. I was even able to contact the actor who played the 8-year old boy in the Bernardo Bertolucci movie, and share it with him, since he knows about the history.

About my own background, I come from an artistic family. My father worked for Paramount Studios in Hollywood, and my sister taught at the Chicago Art Institute, although I have never been formally trained in art, nor attended any art schools. So, you would say I’m self taught, which is not a bad thing, really, because I developed my own techniques in digital restoration which nobody else even knows about, and I probably would not have dreamed of if I was just following everyone else as a student.

In the field of digital restoration, it’s nice to say I’ve gotten a lot of worldwide recognition (and over one million hits) through the museum, as the artist solely responsible for the world’s largest collection of digitally restored vintage posters.

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你甚麼時候開始拿到你的第一張海報的?

在2001年的時候,我從紐約的一個跳蚤市場買到那張海報,後來我把它拿來當我正在設計的一個網站的背景。接著我就開始去買越來越多的海報,因為我超喜歡1920到1930年代的藝術風格,而且我覺得他們是歷史裡面漏掉的一小塊。

你可以說我是慢慢地愛上這些海報,最後修復他們給後代能夠欣賞並且尊敬原作者就變成了我的目標了。我想,商業藝術家從來就沒有獲得足夠的尊重,這是很不好的情形,因為很多海報都超棒到能夠掛在博物館。

還有一點要提的是,雖然我過去十年來都一直在蒐集這些海報,他們卻變得越來越難蒐集,有些甚至都已經消失,只能從我的資料庫裡面看到資料。 

2.When is the first poster and how did you get it?

It was in 2001. I picked up my first poster in a flea market in New York City, with the idea of scanning it and using it as background art for a website I was designing. I started to buy more and more of them because I liked the artistic styles of the 1920’s and 1930’s, and felt that they were a lost bit of history.

You could say I slowly fell in love with them and eventually it became my goal to restore them to new condition so that future generations of art lovers could admire them and respect the original artists. To my thinking, commercial artists have never been given as much respect as fine artists and this is a shame, because many of the paintings done for these posters could hang in a museum, they are so well done.

The main thing to remember is, even in the last ten years since I collected them, they have become harder and harder to find, and many are now extinct, except for my digital record.

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你選這些海報有標準條件嗎?有沒有那些是你最喜歡的呢?

正如我之前說的,我就是喜歡他們的樣子。香菸的海報跟其他的海報一樣可愛,因為香菸本身和現代並沒有甚麼差別,我們必須要了解到,就算是俏女郎的海報也是一樣。

我最困難的修復經驗就是有一張半裸的中國女子跟一隻鸚鵡靠在沙發上面,背景是一個非常20年代的公寓裝潢。我花了整整兩個星期去吸,因為這張海報已經模糊、摺疊,甚至是破損,情況非常惡劣。但是當我完成它的時候,我對他的重生感到非常驕傲。有時候我喜歡把數位修復叫做「數位化的重生」。

我最喜歡的是一張由香菸公司描繪一個上層階級的中國女子身著 1920年的騎馬服裝,手持馬鞭(下圖),看起來非常像一個貴族女子的時代的海報。她的旁邊有一隻英俊的馬,這張海報有趣地表達出,在那時候的中國,一般家庭根本無法負擔維持家庭或養寵物的成本,因此人們只能想像其他其他擁有華服、財富和特權的階級人士能夠養自己的馬。

3.What is the stander of the collecting selection criteria? And which series is your favorite?

As I indicated before, I love them for what they are. Tobacco posters to me are just as lovely as any others, because cigarettes were not looked down on back then as much as now, and we have to be conscious of that. Even the pinup posters are incredible, although they are mild by today’s standards.

My most difficult restoration was one of a half-nude Chinese woman reclining on a sofa with a parrot in the background and some very 1920’s apartment furnishings. She took over 2 weeks full time (90+ hours) to restore because her poster was faded, folded, torn, and in very bad condition. But, when finished I was incredibly proud of the rebirth. Sometimes I refer to the process of digital restoration as being
“digitally reborn”.

My favorite, I would have to say is a poster by a tobacco company depicting an upper class Chinese woman dressed in a 1920’s riding costume and holding a riding crop, looking very much like an aristocratic woman of the times. She is standing next to a magnificent horse, and it’s interesting to point out that in those days in China, the average person or family could not afford the cost or upkeep of family pets, so one can only imagine what social strata she belonged to in order to afford her own horse and horse riding excursions, and such trappings of wealth and privilege.

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我們可以在哪裡找到你呢?

抱歉,我嘗試著要避免被一些現代科技所包圍。我實在是沒有時間Twitter,我想你可以透過e-mail來聯繫我restoredtreasures@yahoo.com 甚麼時候都可以。

或者是到博物館的網站上面也可以http://oldorientmuseum.com

4.Where can we find you (Twitter/Site/Blog/….)

Sorry, I am trying to avoid some of the modern things we get caught up in. Too busy to twitter, I guess. You can reach me by e-mail any time, at: restoredtreasures@yahoo.com
Or through the art museum at: http://oldorientmuseum.com

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你覺得成為一名藝術家的優點與缺點?

透過藝術家的眼睛來看這個世界可能痛苦或者是榮譽。最近,我開始感謝那些正面的事情,例如說被認為是某個領域的權威,而且我發現我喜歡這些我之前未曾看到的好處。

5.What, for you personally are the pros and cons of being an artist?

There can be pain as well as reward in seeing the world through the eyes of an artist. Recently, I have begun to appreciate the positive aspects, such as being known as an authority of sorts, and I find myself appreciating beauty where I never saw it before.

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你對於網路有甚麼觀點,這對你的工作有影響嗎?

我沒辦法把網路以及它會怎麼影響這個世界講得很完整。年輕人只能想像他以前是甚麼樣子,但是像我這樣老一輩的人卻已經親眼證實他的改變,但也只能對這之間的變化感到驚嘆。我現在的做的事情,二十年後可能都沒辦法想像。當我在收集老骨董來裝飾我的公寓的時候,我每個月的周末都會去旅行。現在,我只要幾分鐘就可以環遊世界。我從德國買了一個花瓶,捷克買了一個雕像之類的。

6.What do you think about the internet and how does it influent your work?

One cannot say enough about the internet, and how it has changed the world forever. Young people can only imagine what it was like before, but old timers like me have witnessed the changes and can only marvel at the difference. I am able to do things today I could never dream about 20 years ago. When I refurnished my apartment with antiques, I used to make trips every weekend for months, and now I can wander around the world in minutes. I bought a vase from Germany, a porcelain statue form Czechoslovakia, and so on.

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你的工作怎麼影響你的生命?你感覺到身邊有沒有甚麼在改變的呢?

我看事情的美麗面,當然醜陋也能夠吸引我想要去改變它,因為我知道怎麼修復。我的理想改變了,但是我依然維持我原有的風格。香奈兒是時尚的燈塔,他做的任何事情都成為一個指標。簡單,經典。就像是香奈兒5號一樣,你沒辦法抄襲。我的工作教我尊重風格。

7.How does your job influence your life? Do you feel that you see things around you differently for example?

I look for the beauty in things, and even ugliness can be attractive if you know how to treat it. My ideals have changed, but I remain true to my sense of style. Coco Chanel was a beacon of style, and everything she did was directed at that one point. Simple, classical elegance, like a bottle of Chanel No. 5 Perfume. You can’t copy a classic like that. So, my job teaches me to respect style.

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你用甚麼工具呢?包含軟體和硬體。

我全部使用PhotoShop,累積了8,000小時的經驗,我使用戴爾電腦(非常可靠)還有20吋的三菱螢幕。我在公司上班的時候愛上了三菱的螢幕,一直到現在我都不會去使用其他的牌子。

8.What are your tools of the trade, both hardware and software?

I do all my work with PhotoShop, with over 8,000 hour’s experience, and I use a Dell Computer (very reliable) with a 20” Mitsubishi Monitor. I worked at a company once and fell in love with the Mitsubishi excellence, and now I can use nothing less.

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你未來有甚麼計畫嗎?有沒有甚麼新的計畫正在進行當中,或者最近有沒有讓你很興奮的計畫呢?

有啊,現在有一個「很大」的新計畫正在準備中,一個我已經進行超過一年的計劃,裡面有比博物館裡面的館藏還多三倍的數位修復作品。最棒的是,裡面有來自世界各地的作品。

例如說, 一整套從西班牙前佛朗哥蒐集來1930年代的水果標籤,亞洲到墨西哥一系列的電影海報,從巴黎到摩洛哥的紀念品。共有超過350件以上的修復作品,這些都從來沒有人看過他的修復狀態。更棒的是,我擁有這些物品的每一件版權。

這次將不會只是一個博物館。數位修復作品只是其中一部分,未來將會變成線上的藝廊。還包含了來自世界各地天才攝影師的照片。

不好意思我不能再跟你多說了(高度機密),但是當網站上線後,我會邀請你們和你們的讀者來觀看的。

9.What are your plans for the future? Any new idea coming up, or that you're currently working on, that you're excited about?

Yes, there is a HUGE new project coming up, which I have been working on for over one year, which involves 3 times as many digital restoration works as in the Old Orient Museum, and the cool thing is, they are from all over the world this time around.

For example, an entire collection of fruit crate labels from 1930’s pre-Franco Spain, vintage movie posters from Asia to Mexico, and memorabilia from the best hotels from Paris to Morocco. All pieces (over 350) have been digitally restored and have never before been seen in the re-born condition anywhere or anywhere else. It’s all exclusive, and I hold the copyrights on everything.

This time around, it’s not a museum. The digitally restored pieces are just a part of a larger collection, which is going to be an online art gallery. We are also including pictures from talented photographers from around the world.

I am sorry I cannot divulge any more details at this time (TOP SECRET), but when the site launches I will surely invite you and your readers to check it out.

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再一次謝謝你接受我們的採訪,最後,你能不能給我們一些設計師或藝術家建議呢?

對自己誠實而且讓你自己不被其他人影響。尤其是那些對你在做的事情有意見的人。現在,我是我自己最大的批評者,而且當我在做一些非標準的事情的時候。很快的,我會把它從我的作品身上去除掉。對我而言,這是一個機會去讓它變得更完美。最後,世界都會看到你的作品而且感謝你,如果沒有的話,那是他們的損失,而不是你的。

就像我最喜歡的哲學家說過(Apostolius,公元前150年),“在都是盲人的國度哩,獨眼人就可以成為國王。”

10.Once again, thank you very much for the interview. As a final word, do you have any tips for upcoming artists and designers?

“Be true to yourself and let yourself evolve without being influenced by others, especially those critical of you and your work. Today, I am my own biggest critic, and when I do something sub-standard, sooner or later I will recognize it and delete it from my body of work. To me, this is an opportunity to replace it with something better and more perfect. Eventually, the world will come to see you and your work and appreciate it. If not, it’s their loss, not yours.”

As my favorite Philosopher said (Apostolius, 150 B.C.), “In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed man is King”.

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